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Monday, 24 August 2015

I was toying with the idea of writing a post about an auction find yet hesitated until I was reading Chronica Domus' latest postabout some information on her beautiful slop bowls by a very informative reader. I thought I would share my little object with its background which is by no means on the same level as the level of research nor beauty of object.In smaller auction houses, there tends to be lots where not one object but a group of objects are sold together. I won the bid for another print but this print came along for the ride. When I bid on the object, I did see this print but ignored it.

It was strange in retrospect that I didn't pay this much attention.But I was concentrating on figuring how much I would put on my absentee bid. I rarely bid live because one can get carried away! But I love bird prints and I have a small collection to prove it.

Please ignore the white paint - I know I try to!

I actually have more prints ready and waiting to be framed.I even have a matching bird themed bowl for the aperture for the wash stand.

But I think the intense calculation and more importantly the cracked glass distracted me from examining the print further.

It was only after I brought it home that I started reading up on the print.I looked at the penciled autograph, and the raised blind stamp and thought perhaps it was worth googling the name I was unfamiliar with.

Truthfully speaking, I would not be too swayed by a print with a name and date on the lithograph alone. But one had to consider that for a name that is not particularly well known to the general public, it wouldn't be worth the hassle to create a blind stamp to give false credibility to a possible forgery.

I had a look and there was a website that served as an archive of the artist Archibald Thorburn. I then turned the print around and inspected the reverse where there were two stickers.

One of the stickers refers that a certain Lady D Hunt might have left or her items were held at Allens' Depositories. The possibility of an item belonging to a then aristocrat still doesn't guarantee that the item is worth anything.There is a bit of the sticker which had ripped off.I googled it and it led to this bit of information written by a local historian of the area.It seems that perhaps it was one of those general broad businesses that dealt in matters of the homebut also house clearances.

The other sticker seemed to be from the possible seller of this artwork.I googled and all there was were references to auction houses whose art had provenances that led back to W. H. Embleton on Jermyn Street in London.Jermyn Street is a rather smart address and always has been but of course while researching this I was reminded that not everything is on Google!

Some may say it is crass to discuss money but we have all watched enough episodes of Antiques Roadshow to know that we all love the stories but we are curious to see if the emotional value the family or bearer of the object matches the financial value.In my case, there was no expectation. I went and got the glass replaced and it shows the piece in a better light. It is nice but I don't know if I would have put a bid on this myself.

Upon researching past results and prices for art ready to purchase, the item could fetch up to £275 which is a bonus considering the piece I aimed to buy was only half that price.

But let me remind you that the item an art gets sold for isn't the item one pockets.If I were to auction it then I would lose at least 25% of the price and the fee wouldn't be too dissimilar at an art gallery.

The other bird prints on the wall are of a different nature as it was by another artist, period and country.

And even though I have hung the prints without taking this one into consideration I am still going to stick it next to them and enjoy my bargain find!

I must reiterate that for those of you who are into art history that you will enjoy the latest post by Chronica Domus! ( Please click on name for link.)

The visuals of century old stonework versus 1960's red brick work on an ugly modern building was explicit enough to shock any Australian.

It seems the benchmark that house prices have gone crazy is that the median price of many homes in the first world has overtaken the cost of a chateau!This was obviously not exclusive to the UK mentality which is obsessed with home ownership and house prices.I have a feeling it is seeped in Anglo-Saxon roots therefore any country that speaks English as its main language will share this affliction.

I have this conversation with people who contemplate buying property in France.

It is so easy to be seduced by turrets and moats and all those features that are au fait in children's fairytales.

Even when the inside decor pics aren't 100% perfect,

it is still an escapist setting.

It seems many people lose the same financial senses and
logistical faculties especially when they go overseas to purchase their
holiday home/retirement home. All the tough questioning that would normally through their head when buying a new dress seems to dissipate in a foreign country buying a home! ( It could be all that rose wine.)

But there are political and economic reasons to remember why property is cheap.French politics tend to be erratic but taxes are a constant.New levies are introduced depending on the president elect. Property outside Paris is notoriously hard to sell.

I have seen some houses that are still for sale 4 years on!

People looking for a Georgian rectory in the U.K. would be lucky to see more than a dozen for sale in the Costwolds. It would be a quick viewing to see affordable studios in a city like Sydney or Toronto and yet there is plenty of stock of French chateaus.

There is even more for sale once you get to France that are not listed on the websites.

The bigger the chateau the cheaper it is too!

Well I am being a bit facetious but running costs are not to be ignored.

Many homes don't have central heating or plumbing

and to install these basic amenities will require patience for bureaucracy and red tape, money, and some more patience.

Of course I think a home in France would be enjoyable if done right but I think there are not as many articles about being careful and raising concern as there are in promoting the idea of the idyllic French country life.

What doesn't get publicized as often is those who tire of the lifestyle or need to balance out their life in France with another base in a city or even another country. Life isn't all about drinking the latest released wines by the pool and shopping at the different antique markets at a different village every day of the week. There are many stories about village disputes, some xenophobic council members being a pest, and lonely winters in empty hamlets that are quickly forgotten about in the lavender scented l'heure bleue pastis induced haze.

One day I may consider the option myself but I would consider many aspects of a move and not be bamboozled by false house price comparisons and someone's travel account of the fabulous time they had when they were in Provence for two weeks a few years ago!

Thursday, 6 August 2015

Mr CSW and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary this month and I went through the photos and thought I would share some of my memories with you.

I got married in my thirties.

I never expected to get married so when I finally did I didn't really have any ready plans on how to have a ceremony.

I wanted to elope but legally weddings in the UK need to have two witnesses.

But I thought it would be actually odd just having 4 people at town hall so I decided we would invite only a few close friends.

Only the close friends and not their partners.

I know.

Controversial.

But this was my wedding and I wasn't in the business to play diplomatic games and appease everyone. It was made slightly easier as there was only one family member of ours who came and that was only because that person lived in London.

I was no bridezilla.

In fact, people thought I was joking when I went into wedding dress shops asking if they had a dress I could buy in a month's time which is the time we prepared for it.